? An important and growing part of the textile industry is the medical and related healthcare and hygiene sector. ? The extent of the growth is due to constant improvements and innovations in both textile technology and medical procedures [1]. Medical Textiles Applications ? Starting from a single thread suture to the complex composite structures for bone replacement ? And from the simple cleaning wipe to advanced barrier fabrics used in operating rooms. [1] MT types ?
Nonimplantable materials – wound dressings, bandages, plasters, etc. liver, and lung ? Extracorporeal devices – artificial kidney, ? Implantable materials – sutures, vascular grafts, artificial ligaments, artificial joints, etc. clothing, surgical gowns, cloths, wipes, etc. [1] ? Healthcare/hygiene products – bedding, Fiber used in MT ? Cotton ? Silk ? Regenerated cellulosic fibers ?
Synthetic fibers; polyester, polyamide, polytetrafluoroethylene, (PTFE), polypropylene, carbon, glass, and many more MT and degradation ? Fibers used for inside of the body should be biodegradable within 2–3 months after implantation. ? Cotton, viscose rayon, polyamide, ?
These include: polyurethane, collagen, and alginate. ? Some fibers takes more than 6 months to degrade are: ? polyester, polypropylene, PTFE and carbon. [1] Specialty fibers ? ? ? Natural polymers such as collagen, alginate, chitin, chitosan, are used for modern wound dressings Collagen, is obtained from bovine skin and used as sutures, are as strong as silk and are biodegradable. The transparent hydrogel that is formed when collagen is cross-linked in 5–10% aqueous solution, has a high oxygen permeability and can be processed into soft contact lenses.
Calcium alginate fibers are produced from seaweed of the type Laminariae possess healing properties, effective in the treatment of a wide variety of wounds, and dressings [1] ? Chitin ? A polysaccharide that is obtained from crab and shrimp shells, has excellent antithrombogenic characteristics, and can be absorbed by the body and promote healing. Chitin nonwoven fabrics used as artificial skin adhere to the body stimulating new skin formation which accelerates the healing rate and reduces pain. Treatment of chitin with alkali yields chitosan that can be spun into filaments of similar strength to viscose rayon.
Chitosan is now being developed for slow drug-release membranes. [1] ? ? ? Non-implantable materials ? Used for external applications on the body and may or may not make contact with skin [1] Wound care ? The functions of these materials are to provide protection against infection, absorb blood and exudate, promote healing and, in some instances, apply medication to the wound. Common wound dressings are composite materials consisting of an absorbent layer held between a wound contact layer and a flexible base material. [1] ?
Bandages ? Bandages are designed to perform a whole variety of specific functions depending upon the final medical requirement. They can be woven, knitted, or nonwoven and are either elastic or non-elastic. The most common application for bandages is to hold dressings in place over wounds. Such bandages include lightweight knitted or simple open weave fabrics made from cotton or viscose that are cut into strips then scoured, bleached, and sterilized. ? ? ?
Extracorporeal devices ? Extracorporeal devices are mechanical organs that are used for blood purification and include the artificial kidney (dialyser), the artificial liver, and the mechanical lung. benefit from fiber and textile technology. ? The function and performance of these devices ? The function of the artificial kidney is achieved by circulating the blood through a membrane, which may be either a flat sheet or a bundle of hollow regenerated cellulose fibers in the form of cellophane that retain the unwanted waste materials. [1] http://www. hindawi. com/journals/mis/ 2011/604397/fig1/ Implantable materials?
These materials are used in effecting repair to the body whether it be wound closure (sutures) or replacement surgery (vascular grafts, artificial ligaments, etc. )[1] [1] Soft-tissue implants ? The strength and flexibility characteristics of textile materials make them particularly suitable for soft-tissue implants. ? A number of surgical applications utilize these characteristics for the replacement of tendons, ligaments, and cartilage in both reconstructive and corrective surgery. porous meshes or tapes surrounded by a silicone sheath.
[1] ? Artificial tendons are woven or braided Vascular prosthesis [1]. Healthcare/hygiene products ? Healthcare and hygiene products are an important sector in the field of medicine and surgery. typically they are used either in the perating theatre or on the hospital ward for the hygiene, care, and safety of staff and patients. [1] ? The range of products available is vast but [1] http://www. quatchem. com/industries-products/ hospital-healthcare/ References ? [1] Rigby, A. J. , Anand, S. A. , Medical textiles.